OUT OF THE BOX

Awake and Asleep At the Same Time When I was about 12 or 13 years old, one night during my sleep I woke up in the air, shocked to realize I had just jumped off the bed. When my dad was a child he walked in his sleep one night and threw his bed mattress and sheets out the upstairs window shouting “Fire, fire!” while his younger brother, my uncle Norwood, watched and laughed at him. It’s difficult to explain somnambulism to someone who has never experienced it. Sleepwalking is an unusual state in which a person is sound asleep and acting out his dream, sometimes getting out of bed and walking around. He is awake enough to navigate through his environment but still asleep and interacting with the imaginary delusions of his dream. I have done this many times in my younger days. Running From the Wrecking Ball A few years ago I attended a conference with a group of pastors. We rented motel rooms with double beds in order to reduce each man’s cost. My friend Ron was across the room fast...

[Below is a re-print of an earlier posting. The story is full of spiritual implications, but I will point out only a few of them. - Billy Long ]   "Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side...Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by."    Mark 6: 45-52 “He made His disciples get into a boat.” The “boat” is significant because it represents a context from which we can not easily escape. The disciples, on that small boat in the middle of the sea, could not simply change their minds and walk away from the problems and issues at hand. They could not escape the process; they had to ride it out. The Lord desires to work deeply and significantly in our lives, but He knows that human nature wants to run from the fire and will attempt to escape if it has the option to do so. We would rather s...

I have written a quiz to test your knowledge of the Bible. Choose the right answer(s) from the list below each question, and then read the Biblical reference to confirm your answer. You might enjoy taking the test. It's just for fun. But the Biblical references contain some serious lessons. Billy Long Gideon was… 1. A man who left Bibles in all the motels of Israel. 2. One of the judges who delivered Israel from the Midianites. 3. One of the neighboring kingdoms and a faithful ally of Israel. Judges 6: 11-16 Lazarus was… 1. The city where Jesus lived. 2. A friend of Jesus who was raised from the dead. 3. A prophet who prophesied of Jesus’ birth. John 11: 11-15, 12:1 The Apostle Paul was sent to… 1. North Dakota 2. The Gentiles 3. Jerusalem 4. Summer Camp Acts 9:15; While Peter was preaching in Cornelius’ household… 1. Everyone in the house mocked him. 2. Everyone in the house was filled with the Holy Spirit. 3. His sermon lasted ...